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the_empty_bookself's review
4.0
I like to give it a day or two before I write my reviews to let it sink in.
Reflecting back on this, there was a lot of build up for the last ten percent of the book which, was a speedy reveal of multiple twists and turns which had me re-reading paragraphs to keep up. There were lots of different story lines, which, do come together at the end and were not predictable. Chapters skipped between the past and present to give a full view of the scenario.
Hannah’s husband was brutally murdered ten years ago, the murderer was caught and is jail. Hannah has moved on with her daughter and is in a loving relationship. But a tv show called conviction is bringing up new evidence which points to Hannah being the murderer.
In a twist of tales and suspense can Hannah find out the truth and protect her daughter from the historic threats from her past?
Reflecting back on this, there was a lot of build up for the last ten percent of the book which, was a speedy reveal of multiple twists and turns which had me re-reading paragraphs to keep up. There were lots of different story lines, which, do come together at the end and were not predictable. Chapters skipped between the past and present to give a full view of the scenario.
Hannah’s husband was brutally murdered ten years ago, the murderer was caught and is jail. Hannah has moved on with her daughter and is in a loving relationship. But a tv show called conviction is bringing up new evidence which points to Hannah being the murderer.
In a twist of tales and suspense can Hannah find out the truth and protect her daughter from the historic threats from her past?
theboldbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very good thriller with a podcast element. It was told in episodes, but the podcast wasn't a huge part of it, and it wasn't in transcripts. It was told as if the narrator was listening. The narrator is Hannah, who doesn't remember the night her husband was killed. Now, the man put in prison for the crime is being re-examined due to a podcast about the crime. This is a very fast-paced book with some great twists that I didn't see coming.
slavicsongbird's review against another edition
1.0
This requires such a suspention of disbelief one needs a suspention of disbelief just to conceive it. In addition, I disliked literally all the characters and despite the plot dealing with themes which easily make characters sympathetic, I could not bring myself to care about them at all.
maralyons's review against another edition
5.0
Possession by Katie Lowe is a captivating mystery surrounding Hannah a mother in her 40s whose husband was murdered 10 years ago. A young man was convicted for this murder, but Hannah has always been uncertain about what actually happened that night. Ten years later, a true crime podcast has cast doubt on the conviction and rallies for the case to be reopened. The story is told by Hannah with dual timelines, in the present and in the past leading up to the murder. Hannah's life becomes more isolated and it becomes clear she may not be a reliable narrator. Some points were a little slow, but the story was atmospheric, creepy, and compelling. I really liked the ending and had no idea what would happen. I listened to the audiobook which was masterfully narrated by Amy Scanlon, who sounded perfect for Hannah. This is a perfect isolated mystery for a cozy winter evening.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
booksbybindu's review
4.0
This book was riveting, mind boggling, extremely well plotted, well paced and at times spine-tingling with its various physiological twists and turns. I loved it. You could say there is a sub-genre in crime fiction that now involves podcasts etc, but this turned it on its head by analysing how a person reacts to having their lives raked over by a podcast. It was a highly entertaining read which I read in a oner as it sunk it's hooks in me and didn't let go!
Conviction is a podcast that looks into real crimes and whether justice was achieved or not. It's listened to by millions, so how would you react what you heard the news that it was looking into the murder of your husband. That's the situation Hannah finds herself in. Eleven years ago she awoke to find that her husband had been murdered and that she couldn't remember anything from that night. A man has been convicted of the crime so why are they looking into it? Has Hannah been lying about what happened that night and is her world about to be destroyed?
As a fan of podcasts like this, firstly Serial and then moving on to others I am also fascinated by books which now involve them. Obviously, there are the fantastic Matt Wesolowski books and this is right up there with them. But it looks at the other side - how a person who is being looked into feels as it progresses and the effects it has on your life. You don't think about the trolls and attention it would bring. How things are manipulated to the host’s bias and their interpretation of the facts and feelings.
I loved Hannah’s character and how there were many misdirections and psychological tricks played on the reader. Did she do it? Does this event run in her family? Do her daughter and new partner believe her? But despite all this, I felt there was a core of inner steel in her character as well as goodness.
I also loved how feminist this book came across as - I feel it's a reflection of the author's stance in life when you look at her education and experience. She brings up topic which need highlighted - gaslighting, domestic abuse, #metoo etc. Please please remember that if you are in this situation that there is help there for be had. Also it's not your fault. Katie does such a good job about tackling these issues.
Let me know if you read it!
Conviction is a podcast that looks into real crimes and whether justice was achieved or not. It's listened to by millions, so how would you react what you heard the news that it was looking into the murder of your husband. That's the situation Hannah finds herself in. Eleven years ago she awoke to find that her husband had been murdered and that she couldn't remember anything from that night. A man has been convicted of the crime so why are they looking into it? Has Hannah been lying about what happened that night and is her world about to be destroyed?
As a fan of podcasts like this, firstly Serial and then moving on to others I am also fascinated by books which now involve them. Obviously, there are the fantastic Matt Wesolowski books and this is right up there with them. But it looks at the other side - how a person who is being looked into feels as it progresses and the effects it has on your life. You don't think about the trolls and attention it would bring. How things are manipulated to the host’s bias and their interpretation of the facts and feelings.
I loved Hannah’s character and how there were many misdirections and psychological tricks played on the reader. Did she do it? Does this event run in her family? Do her daughter and new partner believe her? But despite all this, I felt there was a core of inner steel in her character as well as goodness.
I also loved how feminist this book came across as - I feel it's a reflection of the author's stance in life when you look at her education and experience. She brings up topic which need highlighted - gaslighting, domestic abuse, #metoo etc. Please please remember that if you are in this situation that there is help there for be had. Also it's not your fault. Katie does such a good job about tackling these issues.
Let me know if you read it!
rhiannon0307's review
4.0
Katie Lowe writes a compelling mystery thriller that uses a true crime podcast and an unreliable narrator to bring the murder of Graham Catton back to light.
Graham's wife Hannah was there on the night of the murder but claims to have no recollection of the events that took place and whilst it seems that Hannah isn't telling the whole truth, a repeat offender named Mike Phillips is charged for the murder. Years later as Hannah's finally started to move on with her life, a new podcast called CONVICTION covers the case stating that the police framed Mike. Because of this, the case is re-examined and new evidence is dug up pointing to the wife, Hannah, as being the main suspect.
This novel is told in a dual timeline which gives you an insight into the true events of the past and helps you to piece together the truth of what happened that fateful night. Something I wasn't expecting was the paranormal element that came into play but in the end I felt like it added a more suspenseful element to the book and made us question the reliability of the narrator even further.
Whilst this was a gripping story, the ending ultimately let me down. I would have preferred for everything to be wrapped up a little better but it does leave room for a sequel, which I would be more than happy to read.
Graham's wife Hannah was there on the night of the murder but claims to have no recollection of the events that took place and whilst it seems that Hannah isn't telling the whole truth, a repeat offender named Mike Phillips is charged for the murder. Years later as Hannah's finally started to move on with her life, a new podcast called CONVICTION covers the case stating that the police framed Mike. Because of this, the case is re-examined and new evidence is dug up pointing to the wife, Hannah, as being the main suspect.
This novel is told in a dual timeline which gives you an insight into the true events of the past and helps you to piece together the truth of what happened that fateful night. Something I wasn't expecting was the paranormal element that came into play but in the end I felt like it added a more suspenseful element to the book and made us question the reliability of the narrator even further.
Whilst this was a gripping story, the ending ultimately let me down. I would have preferred for everything to be wrapped up a little better but it does leave room for a sequel, which I would be more than happy to read.
marilynw's review against another edition
3.0
Possession by Katie Lowe
Possession could have a lot going for it but so much is thrown into the mix that it feels like a muddled mess. Still, a muddled mess can work in the book's favor since the main character, Hannah, is a muddled mess. She's a massively unreliable narrator, it seems she doesn't even know how to put one foot in front of the other, at times. Even ten years after her husband is murdered she has his emotionally abusive words running through her head, night and day. She thinks that she feels his physically abusive hands on her, from the grave. And now, after enduring accusations that she murdered her husband ten years ago, after finally having the peace of a loving live-in partner, Dan, and knowing her sixteen year old daughter can't be taken away from her by late husband Graham, a podcast is going to blow the entire case open again.
Mike, the guy who was finally charged with the murder of Graham, has been released from prison after being wrongly framed and convicted. Now eyes are again turned on Hannah, as the moderator of a weekly podcast has built a strong case against Hannah, full of evidence and witnesses. Hannah, who had always been on shaky mental/emotional ground, is now thinking that she killed Graham. She can't remember what happened that night, she knew she wanted to kill him and had a knife in her hand and now even her fiancé and her daughter are looking at her with suspicion.
I wanted to love this story and instead, I had a hard time with it, almost the entire way. The cops seem to be extremely inept, when they weren't being crooked, in both timelines. A certain someone has the most awesome ability to do incredible things with blood, clothes, weapons and personal banking info that doesn't belong to them. Hannah seems flat out mentally ill while working as a psychiatrist, she has a grandmother that may have killed her family, two dead or missing patients on her resume, a zillion enemies and and just a few friends who might as well be enemies. I finished the story because I wanted to know what happened that night, ten years ago, but it was a long and arduous journey before I could find out the answer.
Publication: Feb 9, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Possession could have a lot going for it but so much is thrown into the mix that it feels like a muddled mess. Still, a muddled mess can work in the book's favor since the main character, Hannah, is a muddled mess. She's a massively unreliable narrator, it seems she doesn't even know how to put one foot in front of the other, at times. Even ten years after her husband is murdered she has his emotionally abusive words running through her head, night and day. She thinks that she feels his physically abusive hands on her, from the grave. And now, after enduring accusations that she murdered her husband ten years ago, after finally having the peace of a loving live-in partner, Dan, and knowing her sixteen year old daughter can't be taken away from her by late husband Graham, a podcast is going to blow the entire case open again.
Mike, the guy who was finally charged with the murder of Graham, has been released from prison after being wrongly framed and convicted. Now eyes are again turned on Hannah, as the moderator of a weekly podcast has built a strong case against Hannah, full of evidence and witnesses. Hannah, who had always been on shaky mental/emotional ground, is now thinking that she killed Graham. She can't remember what happened that night, she knew she wanted to kill him and had a knife in her hand and now even her fiancé and her daughter are looking at her with suspicion.
I wanted to love this story and instead, I had a hard time with it, almost the entire way. The cops seem to be extremely inept, when they weren't being crooked, in both timelines. A certain someone has the most awesome ability to do incredible things with blood, clothes, weapons and personal banking info that doesn't belong to them. Hannah seems flat out mentally ill while working as a psychiatrist, she has a grandmother that may have killed her family, two dead or missing patients on her resume, a zillion enemies and and just a few friends who might as well be enemies. I finished the story because I wanted to know what happened that night, ten years ago, but it was a long and arduous journey before I could find out the answer.
Publication: Feb 9, 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
ettaenni's review against another edition
4.0
Graham Catton oli arvostettu kirjallisuuden professori, isä ja aviomies, joka löydettiin kymmenen vuotta sitten murhattuna sängystään. Vaimo Hannah Catton ei omien sanojensa mukaan muista murhayöstä mitään ja lopulta teosta tuomitaan vähäisin perustein Mike Philips, perheelle tuntematon mies.
Kymmenen vuotta myöhemmin toimittaja Anna Byers tarttuu tapaukseen tunnetussa true crime -podcastissaan, joka on ennenkin saanut tuomioita muutettua ja suljettuja tapauksia avattua uudelleen. Kuka todella tappoi Graham Cattonin ja miksi? Eikö Hannah tosiaan muista yöstä mitään?
***
Tää oli niin mukaansatempaava kirja! Koko kirjan ajan rakennetaan epäilystä ja jännitystä tekijästä ja murhan tapahtumien kulusta. Ja mitä pidemmälle mennään, sitä epäluotettavammalle kertoja alkaakin tuntua. Kuka on oikeessa?
Kymmenen vuotta myöhemmin toimittaja Anna Byers tarttuu tapaukseen tunnetussa true crime -podcastissaan, joka on ennenkin saanut tuomioita muutettua ja suljettuja tapauksia avattua uudelleen. Kuka todella tappoi Graham Cattonin ja miksi? Eikö Hannah tosiaan muista yöstä mitään?
***
Tää oli niin mukaansatempaava kirja! Koko kirjan ajan rakennetaan epäilystä ja jännitystä tekijästä ja murhan tapahtumien kulusta. Ja mitä pidemmälle mennään, sitä epäluotettavammalle kertoja alkaakin tuntua. Kuka on oikeessa?
anna93_'s review
2.0
book of two halves!
Unfortunately, I found the first half of this book really difficult to get through. The second half picked up considerably.
The book tells the story of a woman who's husband was murdered and she doesn't remember anything about it. A true crime podcast starts that talks about the case and seems to convince all of Twitter that she did it.
The story then progresses with her being 'haunted' by him and slowly losing her mind. This is what makes it difficult to read, as she rambles and repeats a lot of things. It begins to pick up pace after 'episode 5'.
I'm glad I persevered with the book to find out what exactly happened to Graham, her husband.
Unfortunately, I found the first half of this book really difficult to get through. The second half picked up considerably.
The book tells the story of a woman who's husband was murdered and she doesn't remember anything about it. A true crime podcast starts that talks about the case and seems to convince all of Twitter that she did it.
The story then progresses with her being 'haunted' by him and slowly losing her mind. This is what makes it difficult to read, as she rambles and repeats a lot of things. It begins to pick up pace after 'episode 5'.
I'm glad I persevered with the book to find out what exactly happened to Graham, her husband.